Packaging toy balloons.



ATTORNEY.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, n c.

HAROLD A. DODGE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

mcxnorrne' Tor BALLOONS.

Application fi1ed J'u1y 11, 1914. Serial No. 850,311.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, HAROLD A. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented certain Improvements in Packaging Toy Balloons, of

, which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to package a toy balloon with itsstick so as to enable the same to be handled as a unit and thusfacilitate distribution and sale of them; to prevent crumpling anddamaging the balloon, and to utilize the rigidity of the stick for thatpurpose; to prevent the balloon from shifting unduly in said package; toenable the balloon to be delivered in good sanitary condition forapplying to the lips to expandit; to position the balloon within thepackage so that a plurality of such packages may be compactly stored; tosecure simplicity and cheapness, and to obtain other advantages andresults as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals ofreference indicate the same parts throughout the several views, Figure 1is a perspective view of a sealed package containing a toy balloon andstick ready for delivery according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a similarperspective view with parts of the envelop torn open; Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view on line AA of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is alongitudinal edge view of a closed package containing a toy balloon andits stick.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in saiddrawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a deflated toy balloonadapted to be inflated by the purchaser through its open end ormouth-piece 2. Such balloons are usually made from a thin elasticmaterial which allows the balloon to increase to a considerable size byfilling with air and is subject to considerable strain when so filled,and any weakness of the material results in rupture and ruin of theballoon. It has been found in the sale of these toys that to handle theballoons and sticks loosely mixed not only results in confusion andgreat loss of time, but also the delicate material of the balloons iscrumpled and creased and damaged either before or after delivery topurchasers, so that the balloons often spring a leak when inflated.Although not actually punctured, the bal- Specification of LettersPatent;

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

loon is likely to have weak places which enlarge and stretch when theballoon is inflated, until the material ultimately tears. Both the mouthpiece and the sticks are liable to injure the balloons or actually punchholes in them when the balloons and sticks are promiscuously mixed andhandled together. Also, merely to crease the balloon material one way,for instance in a longitudinal direction or direction axially ofthe'mouth-piece, and then crease it again transversely thereto, resultsin a weak spot at the intersection of the two creases which under thestrain of inflation will break through, and it is desirable to keep theballoons out smooth so that they cannot get creased that way.-

According to my invention, I lay the deflated balloon 1 longitudinallyof the stick 3 which is sold with it for a handle, near one end thereof,so that the stick will prevent transverse creasing of the balloon; inthis position and relation I place them within an envelop 4 long enoughto receive the stick but not wide enough to allow the balloon to shiftwith respect to the stick, as shown. Preferably I make the envelop 4 ofsuch size that the balloon will frictionally engage the walls thereofand remain in substantially the position stated regardless of the usualand ordinary handling of the package. In this manner, the only creasingof the balloon occurs in a longitudinal direction necessary to reducethe spherical shape of the balloon to a flattened shape, and themouthpiece 2 is prevented from doing any harm; also the stick 3 is heldwith its ends covered and is prevented from injuring the balloons, andfurthermore the stick is utilized to keep the collapsed balloon in shapeand aid in its safe handling and transportation. Obviously, in packagingthe balloons this way, the thickness of the balloon will make a bulge 5in the package, and in order that the packages may be stored ascompactly as possible, I preferably position the balloon at one end ofthe package as close to the end of the stick as practicable withoutendangering the balloon to damage by the stick, so that in stacking thepackages one may be laid with the bulge at one end of a pile and thenext with the bulge at the other end, making a compact and neatarrangement. Inasmuch as the balloon will not slide in the packagenormally, its disposition which I "hare described therefore--enables-*andi.

facilitates the convenient stacking or pilingup of the packages. Y

In order to deliver the balloons to the purchaser in sanitary conditionand rfreevfrominfective germs I preferably seal the pacle age'by-Inea-nsof:oppositeend fiaps=6, 6.: Thisv insures that when the childinflates the balloon, the mouth-piece 2 is clean for hi'm to" 7otherwise separate and detach edifr'om them except fora frictionalengagement withthe balloon *Which' will hold-Ht inqsuch position that 1the *stick prevents bending and i crum plin'g-;of" the balloon.v

2;";Thecombination of a collapsed balloon and -a stick th'erefor severaltimes as: long; as the same, sa i'd balloon and stick; being separateand detached fromeach otherand arranged longiti'i'd-inally sidebysid-With -sp ectto= the=stick, whereby the stick-prevents bending andcrnmpling of theballoon and we similar-such packages will lie compactlytogether with the bulge of one against the oppositeend portionofthe'others'- Y a 31 "The combination of' aicoll apsed balloon and' astick "therefor several times-as *ldngas the same;saidfb alloon andstick being' separate and detached from"each other and ar ranged"longitiidinal lfy side; byysid," and ai rectangularenvelop inclosi ngsaid stickand balloon with its length corresponding to the length, of'the -stick -*and "its widtl 1 such that the --enve"lop receives the balloon i with 1 suffi? cintfriction to prevent 5 displacement of it"longitii'di iiallwk said envelop: being otherwise separate and detachedfrom the stick and V I: r v HAROLD AE- DODGE: Witnessess j r Howinen-iKmea JANET Copies of this "patent "may be obtalified for 'fiii cents6 i fiiig tth r Commissioner' orfl'af m Wishington',-&D2c;f*

